TV star Jay North, famed for his title role in Dennis the Menace, died at the age of 73.
According to a Facebook post shared on Sunday, April 6, by North’s long-time friend Laurie Jacobson, the actor passed away on Sunday following a long battle with cancer.
“Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home,” Jacobson wrote via the social media platform. “As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after … but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart.’ And we loved him with all of ours.”
In a report published by The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, North was said to have died at his home in Florida’s Lake Butler, “after years of battling colon cancer,” per speaking to North’s Dennis the Menace costar Jeannie Russell.
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Russell, 74, who played Margaret Wade on the 1959 CBS show alongside North as Dennis Mitchell, described North as her “otherworldly brother.”
Jacobson’s Facebook post continued, “A life-long friend of Jon’s [referring to Lassie star Jon Provost who is married to Jacobson], a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.”
Survivors include North’s third wife Cindy Hackney.
Jay North as Dennis Mitchell Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
North first stepped into the spotlight as a child, starring in commercials and landing small roles on variety shows including The Eddie Fisher Show and The Milton Berle Show, per Variety.
He was six years old when he landed his role in Dennis the Menace, which aired from 1959 to 1963 and was based on a comic strip created by Hank Ketcham. The story was centered on a mischievous only child named Dennis who caused trouble for his ageing neighbor, George Wilson.
Other Dennis the Menace stars included Herbert Anderson as Dennis’ father, Henry, and Gloria Henry as Dennis’ mother, Alice.
North also appeared in the 1965 film Zebra in the Kitchen before returning to the small screen with a minor role in TV’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. The following year, he landed a starring role in Maya, a film that evolved into a NBC TV series and helped North’s star rise even further.
As for the story of Dennis the Menace, it was revisited in cinemas in 1993 when a Dennis the Menace film, featuring Mason Gamble as Dennis and Walter Matthau as George, was released.